After having read Catch-22, my curiosity led me to desire reading the sequel. This remarkable book served as a powerful social commentary on our society. Despite being written way back in 1994, unfortunately, its message still holds great truth in today's world. The dark humor that pervaded Catch-22 was quite evident, yet it was also a rather depressing read. It didn't really offer the reader much hope for the future. I'm only 25 years old, but this book managed to make me feel both sad and fearful about growing old and what lies ahead in the future. Additionally, with all the diverse characters and numerous plot lines, it was extremely challenging to keep track. I often found myself getting thoroughly confused. Nevertheless, it was still a good book, but it was indeed a heavy one.

The comical sarcasm and wit that once charmed seem to have soured in Yossarian's old age. Heller is perceptive enough to have a female character point this out. And indeed, I found it to be true. In his youth, when surrounded by those who wished him dead, the sarcasm was both funny and refreshing. However, as he ages, it becomes rather tedious. But then again, he remains immature at heart, so perhaps it's fitting that he hasn't changed. He's still chasing women, regardless of his age, which I also found tiresome. But it seems to be what Heller enjoys writing about.

This book is a great sequel to Catch-22 as it gives other characters a chance to speak for themselves, albeit in a rather depressing and morose manner. It seems that everyone has endured a life of suffering, but that's just the way life is.

Don't expect the same experience as Catch-22, though. This is a more serious and complex book to engage with. I found myself longing for more of the other characters and less of Yossarian's self-indulgent moaning. The ending is nice, though, where he chooses love over life.

DNF @Page 205

With a heavy heart, I'm throwing in the towel over this book.

On page 205, 'Book 6' starts, and I really can't tell you what any of the preceding 5 books was about. (I did have a clue on Book 1, but the subsequent ones have muddied that perception by now.) I am a huge fan of Heller's. (Even if not of Catch-22, of that one I'm just a fan.) And it is therefore I'm sad to say that he ended with this confused and inflated mess.

Basically, I think that all the things I didn't like about Catch-22 make up the bulk of this. Only less well executed. The slightly 'absurd' humor in dialogs reminds me of Monty Python at their worst, or early Woody Allen.

For example:
"It's his job to restrain me from telling him secrets like that."
"Like what?" asked Michael.
"Like that one about the bomber."
"What bomber?"
"Our M & ME & A Sub-Supersonic Invisible and Noiseless Defensive Second-Strike Offensive Attack Bomber. I hope you don't know about it."
"I know about it now."
"How'd you find out?"

Other times, it's the quick read parts of A Confederacy of Dunces that come to mind.

Such as:
"Mr. Gaffney knows everything, I think," M2 answered, with faith. "He monitors our fax lines too."
"You pay him for that?"
"Somebody does, I think."
"Who?"
"I've no idea."
"Don't you care?"
"Should I?"
"Can't you find out?"
"I'll have to find out if I can find out."
"I'm surprised you don't want to know."
"Should I want to?"

Let me just ask you:
"Should I have patience with this?"
"Because I don't."

Obviously, it couldn't be as good as "Catch-22". However, it still skillfully combined the two, also taking into account those who perhaps don't mind the fatigue of reading the story of the great old men in their youth, and filled it with memories. In addition, it included itself, Vonnegut and Švejk, the Dresden blanket bombing, thus providing the interested reader with further reading suggestions in case they didn't yet know "Slaughterhouse-Five" and Švejk's always heart-rending and thrilling story. It also included two new figures, one of whom was also in Pianosa, and the other would be the connecting element between Vonnegut and Heller with Dresden. The eternal Milo Minderbinder and the chaplain Tapman also emerged, both ensuring the absurdity and satire in the book, along with Yossarian. What changed? The setting and the age. But everyone remained just as stupid. Illnesses, disabled spouses and friends entered the picture, and the women also began to fade a little, but this trend is not critical. The essence of the book is still social criticism and social satire, which is still cultivated at a high level. The unhappy reader just scratches his head and doesn't know whether to cry or laugh at the sight of so much absurdity. Absurdities that unfortunately are not that far from reality.

Those who long for a 22-es feeling and expect the same quality will be disappointed. Those who are only curious about the ending in the Heller style will enjoy it :).

I’m not really sure what this book was about or how to accurately describe its genre. There was a strange inclusion of sexual experiences that just seemed rather creepy and out of place.

Ultimately, it seemed really dated, as if it belonged to a bygone era when we were extremely concerned about the threat of nuclear annihilation. I think I have a general understanding of the ending, but I’m still not entirely sure.

My advice would be to simply skip this sequel to Catch 22 and instead just enjoy the original classic. The original is a masterpiece that stands on its own and doesn't require a sequel to be fully appreciated. It offers unique insights and a captivating narrative that has endured over the years. By skipping the sequel, you can focus on the brilliance of the original and avoid any potential disappointment or confusion that might come with reading the follow-up.

Out of all the books that did not necessitate sequels, Catch-22 was prominently high on my list. Heller devotes a significant portion of the book to narrating tales about how humorous and excellent the first book is. It seems rather redundant. Instead of plodding through this, it would be far more worthwhile to simply skip this book and reread the original Catch-22. The charm and genius of the first installment are what made it a classic, and perhaps trying to replicate or expand upon it in a sequel just doesn't quite capture the same essence.

So, for those who are fans of the original, it might be best to stick with the masterpiece and leave this particular follow-up aside.

One can only wonder if Heller himself felt the same way, or if he was pressured to produce a sequel for other reasons. In any case, the decision to skip this book and return to the glory of Catch-22 is one that many readers may find to be a wise choice.

This book disappoints on multiple levels.

It completely lacks the elements that made Catch 22 a great work. The writing is so severe and dull that I had to put it down after reading around 150 pages. The portrayal of Yossarian is particularly monotone. In the sections related to him, we see only a jaded old man, a mere shell of his former self. It shows that getting older doesn't necessarily bring wisdom; instead, it can lead to being more banal and lacking inspiration. Although this may not be Heller's intended message, that's exactly how the book comes across to me.

The sections about the other two veterans are generally more readable. However, once they move beyond childhood, the same jaded tone infiltrates that part of the book, and it disappoints yet again.

To be fair, the book does have some moments of genuine humor and insight, but these are few and far between, maybe only once per chapter, and mostly in the non-Yossarian sections.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, none of them were met. It fails to engage the reader and falls short in almost every aspect.

A book that demanded more than a month of my time to read is almost certain to get a low rating from me.

I can firmly state that I did not experience even half of the profound impact that "Catch 22" had bestowed upon me.

Throughout the reading process, I found myself constantly grappling and struggling to fathom what the author was attempting to convey.

Moreover, I was persistently put off by the rather unflattering and perhaps inaccurate portrayal of women in the book.

This is something that I do not recall being such a significant issue in the first book that I had read.

It seems that this particular aspect of the book really detracted from my overall enjoyment and perception of its quality.

I truly hope that future books I encounter will offer a more engaging and less problematic reading experience.

Catch 22 is truly one of the greatest books ever written!

This particular work is an attempt to bring a sense of closure to many of the characters. It is a rather bittersweet experience to see them much older and so vastly different. They have undergone such significant changes that it feels as if all the essence has been long ago squeezed out of them.

I have been grappling with trying to complete this for months. I feel a sense of obligation to finish it, but unfortunately, it does not possess the same joyous quality that was so prominent in Catch 22. Nevertheless, I still give it 4 stars because Heller is such an incredibly talented and skilled writer. His ability to craft complex and engaging characters, along with his unique writing style, is truly remarkable. Despite the fact that this may not be on par with the original, it still showcases his literary prowess.

When I recently perused the Wikipedia entry for Closing Time, I was rather perplexed as to why no one had bothered to submit a plot summary. Having now read the book, however, I have gained some understanding. I found myself constantly wondering what was truly going on in Catch 22. Was it perhaps an alternate perspective of Yossarian through a distorted lens? In certain aspects, the book was satirical, but only within the rather ordinary domains of politics and the military. There were also moments of levity, yet it never quite reached the comedic heights of Catch 22. However, chapter 19: MASSPOB came close. It was an extended vaudeville cross-talk act, with the humor centering around the linguistic play of using the copulatory act as an adjective and the actors spouting a great deal of words yet meaning very little. In other parts, it was deeply moving, such as the description of the firebombing raid on Dresden in chapter 21, which could hardly be anything else but powerful. Overall, though, it was simply too jumbled, preventing the author's skillful prose from truly shining through.

Perhaps the author was attempting to convey that the fight against old age is an exercise in futility. But surely this is only the case if one convinces oneself that they have already given everything of value to their younger years. I am nearly seventy and I suffer from heart disease, but that does not mean I envision the Grim Reaper standing before me, looking like a member of the Borg Collective and intoning, “Resistance is futile.” I will leave such a sense of futility to the young.

That is the feeling one gets when they are beating their head against a brick wall. That is when one's boss is a half-wit holding them back. That is when one's parents are reluctant to let go. That is when the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood become overwhelming. That is when the petty annoyances bring one down. Now, I can more or less do as I please and live a life of luxury until I pass away.

If this all sounds rather confused, well, that's because I've just finished reading Closing Time. It has that effect.

Why on earth did he write this book?

As I read, I continuously asked myself this very question. It gradually turned into a mere chore to complete it.

Alright, there are indeed some good jokes sprinkled throughout. However, it seems to be composed of a series of outtakes or updates of Catch 22. He can be significantly cruder in this writing compared to the original novel.

Moreover, it combines a rather ridiculous doomsday scenario similar to that in Dr Strangelove, imagery borrowed from Wagner's Parsifal like in Apocalypse Now, elements from Dante's Inferno, and a plethora of in-jokes similar to those in Slaughterhouse 5 and Kurt Vonnegut's works in general.

This, in my opinion, is his worst novel by far.

It lacks the coherence and depth that his previous works had. The combination of various elements feels forced and doesn't gel well together.

The jokes, while initially amusing, lose their charm as the book progresses.

Overall, it's a disappointment and fails to live up to the expectations set by his earlier novels.

I would not recommend this book to others.

Did one of the greatest satirical anti-war novels ever written really need a sequel? The very idea seems preposterous to me. For me, absolutely not. It made no sense whatsoever. But seeing as there is one, and seeing as I Loved Catch-22 a great deal, I was willing to give it a try - despite its overall poor rating. I approached it with a glimmer of hope, perhaps naively.

Whilst not terrible, it's so far off the levels of C-22 that the drop off was almost like going from Jaws straight to Jaws: The Revenge. Now that's bad. Closing Time was OK at best. The story didn't have the same bite or the same depth as its predecessor. I found myself losing interest as I read on. I just had to skim through the last third as it was doing very little for me. It was a disappointment, really. I had expected so much more. More thoughts to come as I reflect on this less than stellar sequel.